The Star lost its senses with Kris Kobach coverage. Instead, just watch what he does | Opinion

Immigrant truth

I have subscribed to The Kansas City Star for about 50 years. The Star’s editors have lost their senses. The entire Jan. 4 front page and four pages inside were devoted to newly elected Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. (“Return of Kobach; On voting and immigration, Kansas’ next attorney general is poised to be aggressive — and more powerful than ever”) It was far too much. Lord have mercy.

I will watch what Kobach does with Mexican immigrants in our state. These are the people who roof your house, landscape your yard and generally do the work that Americans hate to do. In California, Florida and elsewhere, immigrants harvest the food you have on your table.

For Mexican immigrants, voter fraud is not a reality. They don’t vote. In Kansas, even Kobach found voting fraud is a non-issue.

- Ascension Hernandez, Shawnee

Rest area needs

I drive from Nebraska to Missouri once a month. On my last trip, I discovered a petition at the southbound Dearborn rest area asking the Missouri Department of Transportation not to downgrade the facilities there, as it did at the Mound City rest areas years ago.

This would be a bad decision. Lots of people use this rest area so they can traverse the Kansas City metropolitan area more easily. Rest areas provide safe places to do this besides providing a rest stop for humans. We have pets, and most businesses do not want you to walk your dog on their properties even if you clean up afterward. The primitive rest stops such as those at Mound City on Interstate 29 are an embarrassment to your department and the state in general.

I pay taxes on the fuel I buy in Missouri. You should use that tax money to keep up and improve the rest areas. Yes, it costs money. So, use the fuel tax funds you have for upkeep and improvements. MODOT should ask for more money from your state government. Use the infrastructure money from the feds for these improvements.

- Gene Nick, Lincoln, Nebraska

Helping tax cheats

The new GOP-controlled House just passed a bill that would defund more than $70 billion from the IRS, potentially preventing the agency from hiring 87,000 proposed employees Republicans have identified as “agents” and “auditors.” Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska, who introduced the bill, tweeted, “America’s taxpayers don’t need more IRS agents and audits, they need better customer service.”

The truth is, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the previously approved funding for the IRS is to take place over the next 10 years. Of the 87,000 employees being funded, 40,000 are to fill positions that are vacant or will soon be because of retirements and attrition. The new and current auditors will target businesses and individuals earning more than $400,000 a year, far above the average earnings of the poor and middle class.

As the recent release of Donald Trump’s tax returns show, it’s the wealthy who tend to dodge tax payments by manipulating their income and expenses. This first-priority legislation by Republicans again shows that they protect the wealthy first under the guise of helping middle-income and poor families.

Tax cheats want Congress to block the IRS from collecting what they owe. Regular people should want the agency to enforce the tax code.

- Patrick Riha, Kansas City

Who really won?

Well, Kevin McCarthy, you did it. You’re now House speaker. What a victory built upon sand. You negotiated with election deniers and those who will thrive upon corruption and chaos, meanwhile getting a huge salary and great health benefits. The party you represent stands for weakness and has no care for the American people. Even though you swear an oath to our Constitution, you care not one whit about its meaning. I’m so disappointed.

- Pamela Saltzman, Lenexa